Beer Belly

 

And we're back!

My buddy Marty has been trying to get me to go to Beer Belly for awhile now. Marty happens to be a regular there. He has told me that once in a blue moon the chef at Beer Belly will make cheesesteaks, and he tried many times to invite me to go and experience this for myself. As we all know,  I'm a very busy lady, and it was never enough notice. This time however, Marty gave me plenty of notice.

So Chris and I met with Marty and his friend Lisa to finally have these steaks.

When Chris and I arrived, I was surprised to see that Beer Belly was tucked away behind this little Boba spot that I drive past all the time. It was really cute and colorful outside and bright and cozy on the inside.



Marty had already ordered the Pork Belly Chips.



The pork belly chips were nice and crispy, as they should be. They were seasoned really well and the aioli that came with it was really good too.

We all ordered the regular Whiz Wit Wit, and Chris ordered his without onions. We also got an order of Duck Fat Fries.
 

The duck fat fries were also tasty. Most of the fries I had were actually still really crisp, although Marty assured me they can be even more crisp and tasty. The raspberry dipping sauce that came with seemed like an odd choice to me at first, but it was really good and I actually think goes perfectly. I actually don't think I really had any of the duck, I was trying to save room for my steak at that point I think, but the guys gobbled them right up, and I know Chris really liked them, he said they were amazing.

Now for the cheesesteaks! Doesn't this look glorious?



CLOSER:


 No onions:


The meat was cooked perfectly, and cut to just the right size. There was a generous amount of onions and they were so good. There was a nice little peppery kick to the sandwich, and I thought it was just the right amount of seasoning. Chris felt that it was slightly too much pepper, (although he felt bad for saying so) but we all know that he's just delicate. Lisa also pointed out that he didn't have the sweetness of the onions to balance out the pepper. He added a little ketchup though, and I think that helped.

At the table next to us, there was a man with a big fancy camera, and I was totally hating on him for it, (because my camera is tiny and not fancy) and then Marty told me that was the owner, Jimmy. He overheard us talking about cheesesteak bloggin' and we ended up having a nice conversation with him. Jimmy's a really cool dude, couldn't be more friendly. He told me that they use Amoroso rolls, and they make their special cheese wiz sauce with beer. I asked him what kind of beer, and he said it can be any kind, I guess whatever they are in the mood for. It really added a nice subtle layer of flavor. At one point, chef Wes (who happens to be from Philly) came out and we talked to him to for a bit. We got the inside scoop that they are opening another restaurant called Wiz for all of us cheesesteak lovers. Sounds awesome, I totally have faith in these guys, and Marty and I will be there as soon as they open!

Here's Jimmy and Wes looking cool:




We saved room (barely) for dessert. Chris got the Deep Fried Oatmeal Cream Pie, and I got the Deep Fried Strawberry Pop Tart. Both were good, I preferred his over mine.






There was also a Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak on the menu, and Marty and I thought about getting that too, just to try it. But we decided that it was just too much, so that will be for next time.
Overall, we were all happy and stuffed when we left. This is definitely a spot that everyone needs to check out. 

I want to go back soon to meet Marty and his fiance Virginia for dinner, and I'm totally going to get the French Onion Mac N Cheese (with carmelized onion beer wiz) and some Brussel Sprouts!




Beer Belly
532 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213-387-2337
http://beerbellyla.com

Back to Boo's

My buddy Chris was itchin' to go try Boo's Philly Cheesesteaks. He had driven by it a few times, and apparently Chris doesn't read my blog because he had to ask me if Boo's was good. On the day that we planned to go, I was actually pretty sick and almost cancelled. I really thought that there was no way I could get out of bed. But then I thought of having a delicious chicken cheesesteak, and I knew I had to go.

Chris was so excited that he showed up with his fancy camera and took most of these lovely pictures that you are seeing here today. In fact, you can probably tell the two that came from my camera, they aren't as fancy. Chris ordered a plain cheesesteak with provolone, and I ordered a chicken cheesesteak with onions and American cheese. We also ordered cheese fries.

Chris loved that Boo's is a corner location. He also liked the atmosphere inside and thought it felt very authentic. He liked how it smelled inside too.

Our food came out to us quickly and it looked good.

Chris thought the meat was a little chewy, but not necessarily in a bad way, and he liked the flavor of the meat. He didn't think there was quite enough provolone. I told him I think its because it doesn't melt nearly as good as American cheese, so next time he will do American or whiz. He also liked the roll.

I liked my chicken cheesesteak a lot. This to me is exactly how its supposed to taste...perfectly seasoned, meat chopped up just right, and the perfect amount of cheese melty in every bite. Using shredded chicken just like the steak is essential. A lot of places don't understand this, and they use huge chunks of chicken breast, and I hate that. I think next time I go to Boo's, I will add bell pepper to my chicken cheesesteak. I always have the cherry hots on the side, and I add them in as I go.

Chris was not a huge fan of the cheese fries. We both thought there needed to be more cheese, next time I may just ask for the cheese on the side. I thought the actual fries were good, but they reminded Chris of Burger King fries and he's not a big fan of those.

We bought some Tastykake pies at the end of our meal, Apple and Cherry.

Overall Chris really liked Boo's and thinks its one of the best places we've been to. He also said he will go back and recommend it as well. I think Boo's is great, and the chicken cheesesteak impressed me even more. I think this is going to become one of my regular spots.

Boos Philly Cheesesteaks And Hoagies

4501 Fountain Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90029

323-661-1955

www.boosphillycheesesteaks.com

The Philadelphia Steak & Hoagie Company

I saw a little online deal for The Philadelphia Steak & Hoagie Company. $5 for $10 worth of food. I decided to get the coupon and give this place a try with my buddy Chris.

The writing on the outside cracked me up. I like their passion.

This place is tiny, but very cute inside. There is no bathroom inside, so keep that in mind if you decide to go and chug soda.

I do have to say its another one of those places where the pictures of the cheesesteaks on the menu board don't look right, so it made us think these steaks may not be so great.

Chris ordered his regular cheesesteak, no onions, I ordered mine with onions and green bell pepper. Both were made with American cheese. I ordered the "Philly Fries" which basically just means that they have seasoned salt on them, Chris got plain fries.

The food took awhile to come out, but once we got it, it was piping hot.

The cheesesteak didn't look that great, but I have to say it did taste better than I expected. Now that being said, the meat was a little burnt for me, and I thought it was a bit bland. I also wasn't a fan of the bread. Chris didn't like the bread either, and he thought there was way too much of it. Although he did seem to like the cheesesteak more than me. He actually liked the meat. Here is a shot of all the bread Chris didn't eat:

You can see that the meat to bread ratio wasn't good, and the bread was hard and dry on top and darker than I prefer. Not the best roll for a cheesesteak. My homegirl Maria reviewed the photos of the rolls and told me she is pretty sure they are the Mexican rolls you buy from barrels in the store. Again, not the best choice for a cheesesteak.

Here you can see how some of the meat was burnt:

The fries were good, and of course Chris liked my fries with the seasoning. I thought they could have used more seasoning actually. Originally we both wanted cheese fries, but they don't do that at this place, which is a bummer. These fries were begging for cheese.

The staff here was very friendly, and they kept telling us "Pay later, pay later." Chris liked that, he felt like they were trusting us. So we paid at the end of our meal. I have to say their prices are a tad more expensive than I think they should be. The man who runs the place is adorable, and asked us if we were happy with our food, and he also gave us a "Lunch Bunch Club" card which would give your 10th sandwich free. Very kind of him, but I doubt that we will be back. Just not the best place to go if you're really craving a cheesesteak. And I don't really want to try a hoagie there. Perhaps a torta?

The Philadelphia Steak & Hoagie Company

6427 Lankershim Blvd.

North Hollywood, CA 91606

818-760-1776

www.phillysteakandhoagie.com

RIP Jim Herr

It is a sad day in Pennsylvania. Jim Herr, founder of Herr's Snack Foods, passed away last night at the age of 88. Herr founded his company in 1946, and it has grown to be the 3rd largest chip company in the U.S. Here is a cute picture of Jim and his wife Miriam.

Herr's chips are a staple in PA, and anytime a cheesesteak or hoagie place out here has Herr's, they go up one notch in my book.

I still remember taking a field trip to the Herr's factory when I was a kid. I was fascinated by it, and the best part for me was eating chips hot off the press.

I was raised on Herr's, and to me, there is no better chip on the market. They have an assortment of unique flavors, and the best dips as well.

I just so happen to have a bag of Herr's Sour Cream & Onion chips in my cupboard, so in honor of Mr. Herr, I will now go eat them!

www.herrs.com

Papa Jakes

Chris and I thought it was finally time to head back to Papa Jake's. This is the first place we tried to go to the day that we wound up at The Shack. You know, the place that we went to on a Sunday that had the "Now Open on Sundays" sign in the window, but it was closed.

Papa Jake's is tiny inside, but very cute. I ordered my cheesesteak with American cheese and onions, Chris got his with provolone cheese and no onions. We decided to get an order of their cheese fries. I also asked for a side of their cherry hots.

At first bite, I thought it was good. Then in my second bite there was a huge piece of bone or gristle or something. I noticed that the cheese was definitely just on the bottom of the roll. Fortunately it melted, unfortunately the top of the sandwich was dry. I couldn't even figure out how they did the provolone cheese on Chris' sandwich, it just looked blobbed on there somehow. Overall the meat was dry, needed more seasoning, and we didn't think it was very good quality.

It is rare that I think a cheesesteak needs salt, but this was definitely one of those times. I did happen to enjoy the cherry hots...at Papa Jake's they dice them up into a paste. I added some of that and it really helped with the lack of flavor. Chris added ketchup to his. You can see the dryness here:

The bread was good, and both Chris and I liked it. It was lightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. We read on the back of the menu that Papa Jake's gets their bread mix from a bakery in Atlantic City, and then they bake it fresh.

At first, Chris wasn't too in to the fries. They weren't terribly hot when they came out, and he said they would be really good if they were piping hot. They were thin cut and light and reminded him of In-N-Out fries. Eventually he devoured them and admitted that they totally rocked and he loved them.

If I like a place, I'm always eager to go back for a chicken cheesesteak. I'm definitely not eager, but if I happened to be in the neighborhood, and someone I was with really wanted a cheesesteak, then I suppose I would give it another try. I've definitely had way better out here, and Papa Jake's left me and Chris a little disappointed.

Papa Jake's Sub Shop

9527 Santa Monica Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

310-276-7823